South Bay Quilters Guild, Inc.
Standing Rules
SBQG STANDING RULES
(As provided for in bylaws Article VII Section 1f.)
(Amended and Approved by the Membership – 01/19/16)
A.
There is no membership limit. Each June, the Board shall determine if a limit shall be imposed, considering
the average attendance at general meetings and the available meeting space. If the Board decides that the
limit should be changed, it shall propose a change to this standing rule at the September general meeting.
B.
Junior membership is restricted by the following:
1. A junior member shall be an unemancipated minor 10 through 17 years of age as of August 1 of the
membership year.
2. A junior member must be accompanied at all times by an adult supervisor when participating in a Guild
activity. Their level of participation shall consider their age.
3. Junior members are not eligible to vote or to hold an office of the Guild.
4. Fines and bills unpaid by a junior member are the responsibility of their sponsor.
C. General Membership
1. Dues are payable in full at or before the September general meeting. Dues are prorated semi-annually.
a. Dues for regular, junior and associate members are $40 per year (September - February) and
prorated to $20 (March - August). There will be a $5 penalty fee for late renewal of current members,
i.e., renewing after the close of the September guild meeting.
b. Two or more members who reside at the same address and who agree to receive a single copy of
the Guild newsletter may qualify for a reduction in membership rate (in an amount equal to the
estimated annual newsletter cost) for the second or additional member(s).
2. New Members’ Tea. The guild president shall organize, or appoint a chair to organize, the new
members’ tea. All current year new members shall be invited to the tea.
D. The Quilt Show participation activities as required for regular membership must include:
1. Work on the Quilt Show Committee; or
2. Work a minimum of three (3) hours during the Quilt Show Weekend.
3. Members may also provide three (3) hours of support to the committee before quilt show weekend if they are
not available to work during quilt show weekend. Tasks include publicity mailings, database update, etc.
Exceptions to this Rule must be approved by the Quilt Show Chairperson.
E. The Guild participation activities as required for regular membership may include:
1. Serve as an elected officer, appointed officer or auxiliary position.
2. Assist any Guild officer or auxiliary position.
3. Serve on any standing or special committee.
F. SBQG Newsletter
1. Newsletter Only Member with Web based newsletter $15.00
2. Newsletter Only Member with mailed/paper newsletter $20.00
3. Guild members may receive a hard copy of the newsletter via the postal service for $5 per year.
G. Visitors are welcome to attend SBQG meetings; the cost per meeting is $5.
H. Quilt Show Chair Responsibilities:
1. A Quilt Show Chair Elect is elected by the membership in the June two years prior to the show. Until the
conclusion of the Quilt Show immediately preceding the one for which they are responsible, they will:
a. Prepare their Quilt Show’s Opportunity Quilt. Supplies for the next year’s opportunity quilt are
budgeted in the current year quilt show budget. Contract for the location of their Quilt Show unless
this has already been arranged by the guild.
c. Attend Board meetings and Quilt Show meetings as an observer.
d. Consider all Guild members to chair various Quilt Show Committees. Committee Chair appointments
would be finalized when the Quilt Show Chair assumes their full responsibilities.
2. At the conclusion of each Quilt Show, the Quilt Show Chair Elect is installed and assumes their full
responsibilities. The Previous Quilt Show Chair is no longer considered a Board Member and is limited to
these activities until their term ends:
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Standing Rules
a.
b.
c.
I.
Attend Board meetings as an observer
Assist the Quilt Show Treasurer with the:
1. Completion of all financial transactions to close their Quilt Show.
2. Presentation of Quilt Show financial records to the Treasurer and newly installed Quilt Show
Chair/Quilt Show Treasurer as appropriate.
3. Completion of a final Quilt Show financial report to be presented to the Board within 60 days after
the Quilt Show, which officially ends their term. An extension to the 60-day requirement must be
requested of the guild treasurer.
Signature cards for the quilt show account will only be updated after the June elections. In the interim
time between the close of the current year quilt show and the account update for the next year’s show,
any checks written on the quilt show account will be signed by the President and Treasurer.
Quilt Show Treasurer Responsibilities:
1. A Quilt Show Treasurer Elect is elected by the membership at the same time as the Quilt Show Chair
Elect but is not installed until the completion of the final financial report of the Quilt Show immediately
after their election. Until that time, they may attend Board meetings and Quilt Show meetings as an
observer, but are not considered a member of the Board.
J. Financial
1. Policies and Procedures
a. Deposits shall be submitted to the Treasurer or Quilt Show Treasurer (using a SBQG Deposit Form)
and banked in a timely manner.
b. Out of pocket expenses incurred for Guild business shall be submitted with appropriate
documentation to the responsible officer/auxiliary position. After verification, the officer/auxiliary
position will submit a SBQG Check Request Form with documentation to the Treasurer or Quilt Show
Treasurer who will write a check after review at the earliest convenience.
c. Any checks requested for expenses for which a receipt or an invoice is obtainable will only be
disbursed when the receipt or invoice is attached. For checks written in advance of expense, a receipt
is to be forwarded to the Treasurer upon the use of the check. If no receipt is available, a written
statement from the requesting officer must accompany the check request, stating what the
expenditure was for, and why no receipt is present.
d. To adhere to proper financial procedures, two authorizations will be required for all access to Guild
accounts:
(1) No Guild checks shall be signed while blank.
(2) Any authorized officer may access the Guild safe deposit box.
(3) Signatures of two authorized officers shall be required to move funds from one account to
another, as directed by the Board.
(4) Signatures of three authorized officers shall be required to withdraw money from the Certificate of
Deposit (CD) account.
(5) If the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Quilt Show, or Quilt Show Treasurer
position are filled by a team of two co-chairs, only one co-chair may sign any given check.
e. Any expense which exceeds the budget must be approved by the Board. Unbudgeted items that are
less than $200 must be approved by the Board. Any unbudgeted item exceeding $200.00 must be
approved by the general membership. The Board shall be authorized to approve the expenditure of
up to $500 in the event of an emergency requiring immediate action. This emergency action must
have to do with the operation of the Guild and may only be made if the action must be taken before
the next regular membership meeting.
f. The Guild’s fiscal year shall be July 1 through June 30.
g. Any officer of the Guild that makes contracts for future fiscal years, is limited to the amount budgeted
for the current fiscal year. Contract expense includes travel and per diem for speakers in addition to
their speaking and workshop fees. In addition:
1. Contracts may only be initiated for two years beyond the current guild fiscal year.
2. Speakers requiring long lead-time may be booked beyond that time (i.e., 2 years beyond the
current guild fiscal year), but those contracts are subject to board approval prior to executing the
contract.
h. Any officer of the Guild that makes a contract in the name of the Guild (Vice President, Travel
Coordinator, Workshop Coordinator, Facilities Chair, Quilt Show Committee members, etc.) shall
immediately give a copy of that contract to the Treasurer.
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Standing Rules
(1)
Note: For any contract initiated with a speaker or teacher (regardless of the amount to be
paid), a completed IRS W-9 form must be submitted to the guild treasurer along with a copy of the
contract.
i. Copies of all documents and correspondence relating to financial matters shall be kept with the
Treasurer’s records.
j. A receipt or check and balance procedure must be used in the handling of cash for any Guild activity.
k. Junior members may not be responsible for any Guild monies.
2. Budget Considerations
a. A financial reserve shall be maintained in the Guild’s bank accounts. This amount shall be
determined annually by the Budget Committee and shall be sufficient to cover the operation of the
Guild for one year and to cover existing financial commitments. This policy is to ensure the solvency
of the Guild in the event that the Quilt Show (the Guild’s main income source) is prevented from being
held.
b. The use of the net income received from the mini quilt auction shall be decided by the
membership annually as a part of the budget approval process.
c. The Philanthropic Committee shall present its recommendation of allocation of funds to be donated
to other nonprofit organizations to the Board for approval. Upon Board approval, the recommendation
shall be presented to the general membership for approval. The amount of money shall be
determined by the membership each year as part of the annual budget.
d. The budget committee shall obtain input from each officer and auxiliary position when evaluating
the budget amounts for each area.
e. The newsletter editor shall annually determine the cost of producing the newsletter for purposes of
adjusting the subscription rate and discounted membership dues.
f. The use of the net income received from special sales, auctions or other one-time or occasional
events at Guild meetings shall be decided by the sponsoring committee chairperson (with preapproval from the Board) and advertised to the membership as a part of the event. For example
Community Services may organize a silent auction of donated items and designate the proceeds to
be earmarked for Philanthropy OR a member may propose a gently used book sale and designate
the proceeds to be earmarked for the General fund. This rule applies only to those events not
covered y any other rule or bylaw.
K.
Guild Property
1. Storage Facility
a. The President, Vice President, Quilt Show Chair, Hospitality/Facilities Coordinator, Workshop
Coordinator and Internal Auditor shall have access to the Guild storage facility and shall adhere to the
sign-out procedure when removing any item from storage.
b. Sign-out Procedure
Anyone removing an item from the Guild storage facility shall put their name, date and the item(s) on
the sign-out sheet located on the door. Upon returning the item(s), the person shall again sign and
date the sign-out sheet.
c. Borrowing Policy
The Board shall approve or disapprove the loan of Guild property to other non-profit groups, or a guild
member, upon receipt of a written request. If loaned, the Board reserves the right to charge a rental
fee for such use and/or to assess any fines for returning the item(s) with damage.
2. Safe Deposit Box
a. The President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Internal Auditor have access to the Guild
safe deposit box, and shall sign a sign-out sheet when removing an item from it.
b. Sign out Procedure
Any officer removing an item from the Guild safe deposit box shall put their name, date and the
item(s) on the sign-out sheet located inside the box. Upon returning the item(s), the person shall
again sign and date the sign-out sheet.
L. Members of the Guild shall not expect remuneration for their work and/or time expended on behalf of the
Guild. They are performing a service. This does not include members who lecture or teach a workshop
contracted by the guild program chair as part of the regular guild program development. Such fees shall be
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Standing Rules
determined by negotiation between the program chair and the member in the same way lecture and workshop
fees are agreed upon for non-guild member speakers/teachers.
M. All donations, made in the name of the Guild, shall be to organizations which are operated exclusively for
charitable and educational purposes under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and which have
established tax exempt status under Section 23701d of the California Revenue Taxation code. A copy of the
donee’s IRS Determination Letter shall be provided to the Treasurer before the donation check is written.
N. Cancellation Policy
For any event requiring pre-registration (workshops, bus trips, etc.), a full refund will be paid up to two weeks
prior to the event. Less than two weeks prior, there will be a full refund only if the position can be filled from
the waiting list (which has priority) or a replacement can be found. Registration is official only when all fees
have been received. If fees are not received within one week after registration, that name may be removed
from the list and that place given to the next sequential name on the waiting list.
See Exhibit A for Workshop Guidelines, including full cancellation policy and procedure.
O. Procedure Manuals
1. Each officer is responsible for maintaining a procedure manual for their position and all other
documentation and supplies pertaining to their office, relinquishing these items to their successor at the
time of their installment.
2. Where no procedure manual exists, one shall be prepared to include at a minimum the pertinent sections
of the bylaws and standing rules and a guild calendar (maintained by the Parliamentarian).
3. Procedure manuals shall be updated with any notes or procedures of the position as to assist any
incoming officer or auxiliary position with assuming their responsibilities.
4. The Parliamentarian shall retain an outline copy of each position’s procedures manual.
P. Release of the membership roster or directory to any non-member or organization for any reason without prior
written approval from the Board is strictly prohibited and will be cause for immediate expulsion from the Guild.
Membership renewal or re-joining after expulsion will not be accepted for a minimum of five years. In
addition, the members are cautioned that the mailing list is to be used for “guild business” only – not for
personal use.
Q. Membership renewal is limited to members who have met the qualifications for renewal as defined in the
Bylaws and who are considered to be in good standing. Some reasons for not being considered “in good
standing” are, but are not limited to:
1.
2.
3.
Failure to return property of the Guild (i.e. books, quilt frames, audio/video equipment, etc.)
Non-payment of dues (this includes not making restitution for a check returned for insufficient funds),
library fines or other fees.
Non-participation in quilt show membership requirements, except by approval of the Quilt Show
Committee.
Any challenge to this Rule will be decided by the Board.
R.
Library Fines will be assessed at $1 per month overdue, up to a maximum of the replacement value of
the book.
S.
Lifetime Membership
1. It will be the responsibility of the Board to appoint a five member committee (one shall be the then current
membership chairman) to consider individuals nominated for Lifetime Membership. This committee should
have sufficient depth of Guild experience to fairly evaluate nominations.
2. Any member in good standing may nominate a candidate for Lifetime Membership consideration.
3. Nominations shall be in writing and submitted to the Membership chairman on or before the April Guild
meeting.
4. Lifetime Membership committee will present their recommendations (if any) to the Board at the May board
meeting for final approval.
5. Lifetime Memberships (if any) shall be presented at the June business meeting,
6. Due to the sensitive nature of the overall process, all materials and discussions shall be held in strictest
confidence. Only the name(s) of individuals(s) actually selected may appear in Board minutes.
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See next page for Appendix A, Workshop Guidelines
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South Bay Quilters Guild, Inc.
Standing Rules
SBQG Workshop Guidelines
(Effective February 1, 2016)
General Information
Space is limited and workshop attendance is on a first-come, first-served basis so it’s always a
good idea to register early. Workshop fees help offset the costs we incur when hosting out-oftown speakers/instructors but, more importantly, workshops offer our members a wonderful
opportunity to learn new techniques and improve their quilting skills with some of the top
quilters in the world. Some workshops will be “project” classes where attendees will work on a
specific project that the presenter has designed, while others will be “process” classes where
attendees will learn techniques without necessarily having a project to complete.
Workshop Registration

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

Payment is due in full at the time of registration for a guild workshop.
Members are encouraged to register for workshops up to four (4) months in advance. If
openings remain one (1) month prior to the event, workshops may be opened up to nonSBQG members.
Workshop fees are $50 for SBQG members and $60 for non-SBQG members. [A
surcharge may be added on occasion to cover additional workshop costs.] Workshop
fees do not include material/kit fees. If applicable, the material/kit fee must be paid in
addition to the standard workshop fee at the time of registration unless otherwise
specified.
Workshop supply lists will be provided to registered students a minimum of 21 days
prior to each workshop.
Cancellations & Refunds


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
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Full refunds will be provided for all workshops cancelled by the guild.
For a full refund of registration fees for workshops that have not been cancelled by the
guild, the Vice President of Programs and/or Workshop Chair must be notified a
minimum of 14 days prior to the date of the workshop.
Less than 14 days prior to the date of the workshop, a full refund will be issued by the
guild ONLY IF the seat can be filled from the Wait List. Persons on the Wait List have
first priority and it is the responsibility of the Workshop Chair to contact those
individuals. If a replacement cannot be identified from the Wait List, the cancelling
student may find an alternate replacement but, if such a replacement is found, it is the
responsibility of the cancelling student to provide the Workshop Chair with the name of
the replacement and to collect the workshop fee directly from the replacement.
No-Shows will forfeit the workshop fee in its entirety.
A Wait List will be maintained by the Workshop Chair for all classes.
The Board will review and vote on cancellations caused by special circumstances to
determine if refunds will be issued in instances where a replacement student cannot be
found.
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South Bay Quilters Guild, Inc.
Standing Rules
Workshop Etiquette
SBQG has established guidelines for workshops as well as some simple "rules of etiquette" to
ensure that the experience is enjoyable for everyone. Please take a few minutes to review –
and familiarize yourself with – the following.

Be On Time!
The workshop facility will open no later than 30 minutes prior to the workshop scheduled start time.
Please plan your arrival to allow adequate setup and preparation time (e.g., setting up your machine,
winding bobbins, etc.). The workshop will begin PROMPTLY as scheduled and will end at the prearranged time.

Bring the Needed Supplies
Borrowing from a fellow workshop participant may slow both their progress and yours, and if the
workshop requires a sewing machine, please remember to bring it along with the power cord and foot
control. Please be sure that the sewing machine is in good working order prior to the class. It’s also a
good idea to mark all your tools with your name.

Advanced Preparation
If the instructor has asked you to bring a cut set of fabric pieces (as listed in the Supply List), it will be to
your advantage to have completed this homework ahead of time. It will not only help you begin the
project in a timely manner, but will help you to keep up with the provided instructions.

Electrical Appliances Other than Your Sewing Machine
The workshop facilities have limited electrical outlets. To ensure we do not delay workshop activities with
inadvertently blown fuses, we ask participants to not bring auxiliary appliances – irons in particular. Irons
and ironing pads will be available for workshop participants to share. While a number of long extension
cords and power strips will be available, you may wish to bring your own. You can also bring additional
lighting, if needed.

Lunch Break
There will be a 30 minute lunch break. You may bring your own lunch from home or choose from eating
establishments near the workshop location. You are encouraged to bring your own drinks or munchies.

Children
A guild workshop is NOT a safe or appropriate setting for children.

Cellular Phones
Please turn the sound OFF on all cellular phones when classes or lectures begin. Ring tones and/or
conversations interrupt the instructor’s train of thought and are annoying to your fellow attendees. If you
need to take a phone call, please step outside.

Socializing During Class
Socializing with your friends during the down time or work time in class, or during a lecture, is acceptable.
However, please be respectful of the times the teacher is speaking. When you talk during a lecture or
workshop, you are hindering your fellow members from hearing what the teacher/speaker has to say.
Plus, please be considerate of other participants who are focusing on their projects.
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